Govt job aspirants lose Rs 1.6 crore to conman in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Police have launched a manhunt for a Davanagere man who allegedly duped around 12 men of Rs 1.6 crore on the pretext of getting them government jobs, including those of excise sub-inspectors.
The accused is Arun Kumar of Kundoo village in Honnahalli taluk, Davanagere. One of his victims has filed a complaint with Vidhana Soudha police, claiming the suspect collected money from his friends between January and September 2020 and later turned incommunicado.
“Two of my friends — Lakshmappa Chandragiri and Chandrappa — wanted to become sub-inspectors with the excise department.Arun Kumar, secretary with Jnanaganga Education Society in Kundoor village, met us saying he was a member of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) and had good connections in the government. Arun promised to get my friends the jobs and said it would cost around Rs 70 lakh,” said the complainant HB Jayadeva, a 38-year-old contractor from Davanagere.
“Agreeing to Arun’s offer, we transferred Rs 15 lakh to his bank account in January 2020. In June, we transferred another Rs 20 lakh. Arun’s wife Lavanya and brother Hanumantappa told us he could even help my other friends get government jobs. Trusting them, around 10 friends of mine transferred Rs 1.3 crore to Arun’s bank account. Meanwhile, Arun invited us to Bengaluru and met us in a parking lot at MS Building,” the complainant said.
In September 2020, Arun called Jayadeva to the city again and demanded Rs 10 lakh more. “We grew suspicious and sought time from him. He showed us an ‘appointment letter’ in his name, saying he was a KPSC member. After some time, he gave us appointment letters in the names of Chandragiri and Chandrappa, saying they got jobs of sub-inspectors, excise department. We realised the letters were fake and Arun had cheated us,” the complaint read.